1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to detectors for acoustic emission and in particular to a novel method and apparatus for testing with acoustic emission test samples such as highway bridges.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,024,522 assigned to the assignee of the present inventon which issued on May 17, 1977 entitled "Acoustic Emission System For Welding Flaw Detection" discloses a flaw detection system for use during a continuous welding process wherein a transducer provides a signal burst for each acoustic emission burst from an article being welded and the acoustic emission is filtered so as to pass frequencies between about 100 and 550 KHz. Signal bursts which pass through the filter are then subjected to an amplitude discrimination and then to a rate detection and if the detected rate is high enough then an alarm is given to indicate that a flaw occurs in the welded material.